


Contagion

by Puppetmaster13



Series: Evolution [1]
Category: Hermitcraft RPF, Minecraft (Video Game)
Genre: Area 77, Gen, Glitches, How Do I Tag, I Tried, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, It's the Minecraft Egos, Maybe - Freeform, New New Hermitville, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Panic Attacks, Xisuma overworks himself, maybe not, mentions of injury, new hermitville, not the real people, or are they?, slight gore, update glitches, world glitches, xisuma is best admin
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-12
Updated: 2020-08-12
Packaged: 2021-03-06 04:48:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,278
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25857697
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Puppetmaster13/pseuds/Puppetmaster13
Summary: These glitches aren't too bad at the moment, but Xisuma prefers to take care of things before it gets out of hand. Cue a few all-nighters, and the admin begins to feel under the weather.
Series: Evolution [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1876360
Comments: 5
Kudos: 66





	Contagion

Xisuma was the first affected by the glitches. He was the admin of the Hermit’s world, and was constantly diving through the world’s code to make sure everything worked. All of these glitches added up after all. So it was no surprise that the brunette was the first to change. It wasn’t anything obvious at first- just some general discomfort and an itchiness in his hands. He’d brushed it off as his body telling him to take a break. 

Stretching out as he stood, Xisuma sighed. Another day wasted in his base behind a screen. _‘That’s it. Tomorrow will be spent away from the panels unless it’s a legit emergency.’_ He nodded decisively. ‘Yeah, that seems like a good idea. Hopefully these glitches don’t get worse.’ It wasn’t even like the glitches were bad necessarily- they were mostly little things after all. The worst thing that they caused was sudden storms- which Doc enjoyed thoroughly and most of the others used to get grinding done. No one really complained, but he preferred fixing things before they got dangerous. 

_‘No, bad Xisuma. No thinking about coding for the rest of the day. No thinking about it tomorrow either,_ ’ he scolded himself. Flopping onto his bed, the admin let out an exhausted groan. Trying to convince himself to relax was harder than one would think. Well, he supposed he could always check on Hermitville. Instantly his mood brightened. He could visit Keralis! With a plan for the next day, the brunette snuggled into the covers, slipping into the embrace of sleep. 

Xisuma let out a sigh as he exited the nether portal into the updated spruce village. How Grian had the patience to ride the entire way in the overworld when the builder barely had the patience to set up a basic carrot farm was a mystery to him. Withholding a yawn- he’d started traveling before the sun had risen- the armoured man started making his way downwards. He could have just flown to the village- but he hadn’t gotten to see Bdub’s iron golem skeleton yet. It would be better to follow the no elytra rule in the village too. Alright, really he just wanted to actually wake up. 

He started regretting his decision when his back back started feeling like someone had tossed boulders at it. “What the heck?” Perhaps he should have taken breaks the day before? Groaning, the brunette continued onwards stubbornly. He could take a break when he made it to Keralis’ and Bdub’s village. Hopefully his friend wouldn’t mind him dumping off his armour and chilling out. It was getting rather hot and heavy. 

Glancing at Scar’s and Doc’s “Area Seventy-seven” fencing, Xisuma let out a chuckle. Most of the hermits could _literally_ just walk through. He’d have to remove his armour if he wanted to take the shortcut, curse being broad-shouldered. Oh well, it was probably for the aesthetic anyway. Shaking his helmeted head in amusement, the admin carried on, ignoring just how much he was beginning to sweat. 

It was probably just the warm weather, right?

“Sheshwammy!” Keralis practically leapt from his barn to say hello. “Keralis, my friend!” Xisuma laughed, catching him. It might have given others the wrong idea about their relationship when they first met the duo, but they weren’t going to stop greeting each other with a hug and a smile. After all, some days one just needed a pick-me-up, and a hug could help. Not to say he was feeling bad- he just needed to relax and hang out with his friends for a little bit. 

“What brings you here?” Big dark blue eyes blinked up at the brunette. “Well I was in the area and wanted to relax, and I thought, ‘Why not visit New-New Hermitville’?” Not the full truth, but Keralis didn’t need to know he was working for so long he’d started getting bruises and had forgotten to eat. The large-eyed hermit gave him a blinding smile, dragging the armoured man over to the bridge. “I’ll give you a tour!” “Wait, can I put my armour in the barn, it’s really hot out…” Keralis paused, giving him a concerned look. “Are you alright Sheshwammy? Are you getting a fever?!” The admin’s protests died in his throat. It _was_ a possibility after all. 

“I don’t think so? I mean, I don’t _feel_ sick, just hot and sweaty, really. Should I take a fire resistance potion?” he joked. His friend frowned disapprovingly. “You should _rest_ if you’re sick Sheshwammy-void. Have you even eaten anything today, or drank any water?” Xisuma winced at his friend’s mother-henning. Apparently wincing wasn’t the right thing to do. “ _Sheshwammy_!” Keralis instantly marched him back to the barn. “Look into my eyes- nothing _but_ my eyes! You are going to take off _everything_ , turn off your communicator, and _rest_!” “But what if someone needs-” “Nope! You are going to rest Shishwammy-void!” 

Giving up on resisting and- if he was honest with himself- he felt rather drained, Xisuma began unclipping each piece of his metallic plating. It was almost ridiculous how long it took, but hey, there was a _lot_ of overlapping each other. The price one had to pay for quality armour. By the time he had finished, his quilting was soaked in sweat and his head had begun to pound. _‘Huh, maybe I am sick…’_ The admin inwardly mused, bringing his shaking hand up to his face. 

It wouldn’t be the first time he became ill due to not “taking care of himself”, as the others would put it. He didn’t mean to… he just lost track of time sometimes when he was working on a project. 

“Here-a we go!” A blanket was dropped on his head, followed by a pillow. Keralis’ grin quickly turned into a frown “You _are_ sick- I knew it!” Oh dear, Keralis was legitimately upset. “Sorry…” “You don’t need to apologize, you need to get better!” More blankets were dumped around him, forming a cushy hay-filled bed of sorts. “You get some rest, and I’ll get some medicine. Don’t get up for _anything!”_ Xisuma grinned at his friend’s words. “What if I have to go to the restroom- ack!” A pillow hit him in his face for his troubles. 

Xisuma woke up feeling like he was swimming in lava. Someone was screaming, and it took his brain a few moments to realize it was  _ him _ . His head felt like an iron golem was knocking on it and he could taste something salty in his mouth. Blood. Why was he bleeding? Everything was burning,  _ burning, Burning _ -! 

Someone was trying to restrain him, but it hurt! It hurt so much! It was like he had fallen into the void, and he could feel his body pull itself apart molecule by molecule. But he hadn’t, he was still in Keralis’ barn wasn’t he?  _ ‘Sick,’ _ his mind supplied him.  _ ‘I’m… sick…’ _ His voice had gone hoarse- had he still been screaming? Nails- his nails- clawed at the blankets encompassing his body. It was so hot. 

Maybe… he could just… go back to sleep… just… just for a little bit… 

He stirred to muffled voices, unsure as to who was there. His body felt like it was filled with bedrock, and his mind hazy. When he opened his eyes, Xisuma had to shut them. ‘Why is it so bright?’ The last thing he remembered was falling asleep in the barn. Trying to cover his eyes, the brunette was startled to find his arms bound to the bed. “Wha-” “Oh finally, you’re awake!” Scar’s nervous face was suddenly there in his own. “Sorry about the restraints- you kept trying to, erm, well…” The adventurer trailed off. “I’ll… just get Doc…” 

Xisuma furrowed his brow. “What is going on?” It didn’t take long for the cyborg to enter the room. “Hey, how are ya’ feeling man?” He seemed rather nervous, or perhaps even worried. “I’m feeling alright, a little tired, but alright, why? What happened?” Xisuma was worried. “Actually, how long was I out? Is everyone alright? Oh dear did-” Doc cleared his throat. “Well, you see… Um, actually it’d be better to show you…” The mad doctor removed the restraints and helped the taller man up. “I can walk on my own-  _ What in the name of Notch?! _ ”

How the  _ heck _ did he not notice  _ that _ earlier?! 

Swaying almost sedately behind him was a rather long fleshy tail. Yanking on it revealed that it was  _ his _ fleshy tail.  _ ‘Okay, calm down- calm down!’ _ “Uh, you okay there man?” Doc inched closer to the hyperventilating admin. He curled against the concrete. When had he gotten on the floor? Clutching his head, he froze once more. There were bumps on his head, rather noticeable ones at that.  _ ‘What- what’s happening to me?’ _

His eyes rolled into the back of his head, and his face met the hard floor. Doc winced at the loud sound. “Well, at least he didn’t freak out too much…” The creeper-man tried to pick the taller male up. _ ‘Geeze, what does he eat- bedrock?’ _ Then again, their admin was over seven feet and looked like a wall of muscle, so why wouldn’t he expect him to be heavy? “Notch-dangit. Hey Scar, a little help please?” The (ironically) scarred man poked his head in. “Oh no, is Xisuma okay?” 

“You want the honest answer? No. I don’t think he is…” 

The admin didn’t look good. When Keralis had first started spamming the chat with abandon if anyone was around New New Hermitville and Doc was the closest, he wasn't expecting to see Xisumavoid looking sick as a dog and  _ screaming like he was being boiled alive. _ Even after that ended, they had nearly lost the man  _ twice _ . He’d stopped breathing and had gone deathly still, pale, covered in his own blood and sweat. 

Sure there was always the choice to respawn, but who knew if that would stop him from bein’ sick. So they had brought him into Area-77. Normally Doc wouldn’t have let  _ anyone _ inside, but it was the closest place he had enough medical supplies and restraints so the brunette would stop trying to tear at his skin and already bleeding injuries. Keralis came with, but had been shooed away to get his friends some potions. (It had nothing to do with the glitchy items he had scattered on the shelving.) Grimacing, the two of them half carried, half dragged the unconscious admin back to the medical bed. 

Going over him once more, Doc frowned. The bruises on his back had gotten darker and almost seemed to be… “Oh Notch…” he breathed, rushing over to get more bandages and the last of his potion of healing. Hopefully Keralis would be back with more soon. “Doc whats-” “Not now! He’s going to be getting more limbs, and if I’m right this time it’ll be a pair at least! Help me roll him onto his stomach!” Shoot. If sprouting a tail almost made him bleed out and broke through bones, what would  _ wings _ do? “Get ready man, this is going to be very, very messy…” 

Keralis couldn’t help but flinch when he saw his friend. Xisuma didn’t look too good, even if most of the danger had passed. Even in sleep, the brunette’s face was scrunched up in discomfort, and they had had to switch beds twice already from the blood. Thankfully, it didn’t seem like any more changes were coming anytime soon.  _ ‘Sheshwammy…’ _ Doc was out doing damage control, letting the other hermits know that Xisuma was pretty sick, but nothing more. The blackette held onto the admin’s clawed hand, rubbing circles onto the back. He was worried. If just a tail caused ‘Suma to faint, what would the rest do? The wings, the horns? The scales and feathers? The builder sighed, running a hand through his hair. “Please wake up soon Sheshwammy…” 

After waking up, and consequently fainting twice more, Xisumavoid finally calmed down enough to not  _ immediately  _ panic. In fact, he acted rather curious about his changed body. “This is so weird…” Sure, sometimes when there was an update his armour would change, the world apparently wanting to have a laugh, but his entire physical makeup? Nothing like this had ever happened to any hermit as far as he was aware. 

Relearning to walk was a nightmare, seeing as his balance now had to compensate for three pairs of wings and a freaking tail. The brunette got very intimate with the rug on the floor. (Thank you Keralis for insisting on putting  _ something  _ there to cover the concrete.) Thankfully, it had been easy to file down the horns and claws, so he could put on his armour with very little difficulty and alterations. After all, it was already designed to allow for elytra, so adding an extra couple openings wasn’t too hard. 

There was the awkward moment (or several) when the other hermits first saw his change, but those didn’t last long. Grian had practically squealed and kept trying to pet his wings. Xisuma wasn’t going to ask how his fellow brunette kept getting into his room. At least he now had chickens? Alright, they were a little annoying, but the babies were adorable. Plus flying became sort of fun (Doc didn’t have to push him off the top of Grian’s base, Notch dangit!) with having his own wings. How he was able to fly when he wore heavy armour and was rather large was a mystery to the others, even with how large the wings were. 

Despite the changes, he was still him. He was still Xisuma, the lovable derp of an admin, and that wouldn’t change. 

**Author's Note:**

> What's this? A new series? Indeed it is. This will be a series separated into two main parts: a series of oneshots explaining how the hermits have changed, and a full story including some other characters. I hope you enjoy this! ^-^


End file.
